World Jewish News

US Secretary of State John Kerry and EU foreign policy chif Catherine Ashton

Egypt: Kerry and Ashton call on all sides to end ‘dangerous stalemate’ as Muslim Brotherhood Morsi's supporters continue si

The United States and the European Union have called on the government and the opposition in Egypt's political crisis to end "a dangerous stalemate" and to agree a path for a democratic transition.
In a joint statement released on Wednesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said: "While further violent confrontations have thus far been avoided, we remain concerned and troubled that government and opposition leaders have not yet found a way to break a dangerous stalemate and agree to implement tangible confidence building measures," they said.
The US and the EU have sent to Cairo two senior representatives, Special Representative for the Southern Mediterranean Bernardino Leon and Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns, to urge the Egyptian government and opposition parties to begin a process of genuine reconciliation, and move ahead inclusively to consider amendments to the Constitution and prepare as quickly as possible for Parliamentary and Presidential elections.
But the Egyptian interim government said foreign mediation had failed.
"The Egyptian government bears a special responsibility to begin this process to ensure the safety and welfare of its citizens," the statement continued.
"This remains a very fragile situation, which holds not only the risk of more bloodshed and polarization in Egypt, but also impedes the economic recovery which is so essential for Egypt's successful transition," they said.
"Now is not the time to assess blame, but to take steps that can help initiate a dialogue and move the transition forward."
Kerry and Ashton underlined that both the United States and Europe would support any Egyptian-led attempt to find a negotiated solution to the political crisis, but insisted this must include a return to elected rule.
"We are convinced that a successful democratic transition can help Egypt lead the rest of the region toward a better future, as it has so often done during its rich and proud history," they said.
Egypt's interim government, which was installed last month by the military after troops ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, has demanded that his Muslim Brotherhood supporters bring an end to their large-scale street protests and sit-ins.
Morsi is under arrest at an undisclosed location. Several other senior figures from the Muslim Brotherhood have also been detained
The EU-US statement said they have suggested ‘’a number of practical ideas’’ to calm current tensions and help Egyptians build a bridge toward a real political dialogue.
‘’These have included a series of modest confidence building measures, including public statements condemning violence and supporting peaceful resolution of political differences; a commitment to meaningful negotiations, requiring compromises and broad political participation; an end to incitement in public statements and the media; steps to scale down and ease tensions surrounding the ongoing demonstrations at Raba’a al-Adawiya and Nahda Squares; and immediately beginning the process of releasing detained political figures.’’

by: Yossi Lempkowicz

EJP